Preparation

Opening response

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, God of compassion and mercy,to you be praise and glory forever.In the darkness of our sin,your light breaks forth like the dawnand your healing springs up for deliverance.As we rejoice in the gift of your saving help,sustain us with your bountiful Spiritand open our lips to sing your praise.Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Blessed be God forever.

From thrones of glory drivenBy flaming vengeance hurledThey throng the air, and darken heaven,And rule this lower world.But shall believers fear?But shall believers fly?Or see the bloody cross appear,And all their power defy?

Jesus’ tremendous namePuts all our foes to flight:Jesus, the meek, the angry Lamb,A Lion is in fight.By all hell’s host withstood,We all hell’s host overthrow;And conquering them, through Jesus’ blood,We still to conquer go.

Confession of sin

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Silence may be kept.

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against youin thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sinsthrough our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in allgoodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us ineternal life. Amen.

The Word of God

Psalm 22

Refrain:Please don’t be far from me, God.

My God! My God, why have you left me all alone? Why are you so far from saving me— so far from my anguished groans?My God, I cry out during the day, but you don’t answer; even at nighttime I don’t stop.You are the holy one, enthroned.You are Israel’s praise.Our ancestors trusted you— they trusted you and you rescued them; they cried out to you and they were saved; they trusted you and they weren’t ashamed.

But I’m just a worm, less than human; insulted by one person, despised by another.All who see me make fun of me— they gape, shaking their heads: “He committed himself to the Lord, so let God rescue him; let God deliver him because God likes him so much.”But you are the one who pulled me from the womb, placing me safely at my mother’s breasts.I was thrown on you from birth; you’ve been my God since I was in my mother’s womb.Please don’t be far from me, because trouble is near and there’s no one to help.

Many bulls surround me; mighty bulls from Bashan encircle me.They open their mouths at me like a lion ripping and roaring!I’m poured out like water. All my bones have fallen apart. My heart is like wax; it melts inside me.My strength is dried up like a piece of broken pottery.My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you’ve set me down in the dirt of death.Dogs surround me; a pack of evil people circle me like a lion— oh, my poor hands and feet!I can count all my bones! Meanwhile, they just stare at me, watching me.They divvy up my garments among themselves; they cast lots for my clothes.

But you, Lord! Don’t be far away! You are my strength! Come quick and help me!Deliver me from the sword. Deliver my life from the power of the dog. Save me from the mouth of the lion. From the horns of the wild oxen you have answered me!

I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; I will praise you in the very center of the congregation!All of you who revere the Lord—praise him! All of you who are Jacob’s descendants—honor him! All of you who are all Israel’s offspring— stand in awe of him!Because he didn’t despise or detest the suffering of the one who suffered— he didn’t hide his face from me. No, he listened when I cried out to him for help.

I offer praise in the great congregation because of you; I will fulfill my promises in the presence of those who honor God.Let all those who are suffering eat and be full! Let all who seek the Lord praise him! I pray your hearts live forever!Every part of the earth will remember and come back to the Lord; every family among all the nations will worship you.Because the right to rule belongs to the Lord, he rules all nations.Indeed, all the earth’s powerful will worship him; all who are descending to the dust will kneel before him; my being also lives for him.Future descendants will serve him; generations to come will be told about my Lord.They will proclaim God’s righteousness to those not yet born, telling them what God has done.

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:Please don’t be far from me, God.

Psalm prayer

Restless with grief and fear,the abandoned turn to you:in every hour of trial,good Lord, deliver us,O God most holy, God most strong,whose wisdom is the cross of Christ.

Old Testament readingGenesis 42:29-38

When they got back to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him everything that had happened to them: “The man, the country’s governor, spoke to us with a harsh tone and accused us of being spies in the country. We told him, ‘We’re honest men, not spies. We are twelve brothers, all our father’s sons. One of us is gone, but the youngest is right now with our father in the land of Canaan.’ The man, the country’s governor, told us, ‘This is how I will know you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers with me, take grain for those in your households who are hungry, and go. But bring back your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies but honest men. I will give your brother back to you, and you may travel throughout the country.’”

When they opened their sacks, each man found a pouch of his silver in his sack. When they and their father saw their pouches of silver, they were afraid. Their father Jacob said to them, “You’ve taken my children from me. Joseph’s gone. Simeon’s gone. And you are taking Benjamin. All this can’t really be happening to me!”

Reuben said to his father, “You may put both of my sons to death if I don’t bring him back to you. Make him my responsibility, and I will make sure he returns to you.”

But Jacob said to him, “My son won’t go down with you because his brother’s dead and he’s been left all alone. If anything were to happen to him on the trip you are taking, you would send me—old as I am—to my grave in grief.”

Silence may be kept.

New Testament readingGalatians 5:16-26

I say be guided by the Spirit and you won’t carry out your selfish desires. A person’s selfish desires are set against the Spirit, and the Spirit is set against one’s selfish desires. They are opposed to each other, so you shouldn’t do whatever you want to do. But if you are being led by the Spirit, you aren’t under the Law. The actions that are produced by selfish motives are obvious, since they include sexual immorality, moral corruption, doing whatever feels good, idolatry, drug use and casting spells, hate, fighting, obsession, losing your temper, competitive opposition, conflict, selfishness, group rivalry, jealousy, drunkenness, partying, and other things like that. I warn you as I have already warned you, that those who do these kinds of things won’t inherit God’s kingdom.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the self with its passions and its desires.

If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit. Let’s not become arrogant, make each other angry, or be jealous of each other.

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticleThe Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

Refrain: Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.

Bless the Lord God of Israelbecause he has come to help and has delivered his people.He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.He has brought salvation from our enemiesand from the power of all those who hate us.He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,and remembered his holy covenant,the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.He has granted that we would be rescuedfrom the power of our enemiesso that we could serve him without fear,in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,for as long as we live.You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.You will tell his people how to be savedthrough the forgiveness of their sins.Because of our God’s deep compassion,the dawn from heaven will break upon us,to give light to those who are sitting in darknessand in the shadow of death,to guide us on the path of peace.”

Luke 1:68-79

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain: Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.

Brief silence.

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven,is seated at the right hand of the Father,and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

Intercession and thanksgiving

Prayers are offeredfor the day and its tasksfor the world and its needsfor the Church and her life

Response

Lord of lifeIn your mercy, hear us.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Almighty God,whose Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the wilderness,and was tempted as we are, yet without sin:give us grace to discipline ourselves in obedience to your Spirit;and, as you know our weakness,so may we know your power to save;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Trusting in the compassion of God,as our Savior taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power,and the glory are yoursnow and forever.Amen.